Sill construction for cars.



W. J. TOLLERTON.

SILL CONSTRUCTION FOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11. 1915.

1,28%,819. Patented N0v.12,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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SILL CONSTRUCTION FOR CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I1. 1915. 1,284,190 Patent-ed Nov. 12,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WILLIAM JAMES TOLLERTQN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SILL CONSTRUCTION FOR CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 112., 191%.

Application filed June 11, 1915. Serial No. 33,432.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM JAMES Tonnnn'roN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sill Construction for Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to the construction of railroad cars, and particularly to freight cars used for carrying grain.

The object of my invention is to make the 'oint or connection between the flooring and sheathing of the car so that the grain cannot leak through, and so that it will not be afiected by the pressure of the load within the car nor the moisture outside of the same, and will thus prevent the lower portion of the sheathing from bulging. This ll accomplish by the means hereinafter fully described, and as particularly pointed out 1D. the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional yiew through the side-sill of a car and the oint of the sheathing and flooring supported thereby embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a fragment of the tie-plate used in connection therewith.

Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are views similar to Fig. 1 each illustrating a difierent modification of the same.

In order to facilitate the description of my invention the construction thereof illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings may be considered the preferred form. The modifications shown in the other figures of the drawings are all of equal value from a practical standpoint.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a channel-beam car-sill, B the flooring or decking of the same, and C the sheathing thereof. The sill may be of any suitable form in cross-section, and my invention applies to either the side-sills or the end-sills of the car. The flooring consists of transverse planks and the sheathing of the usual horizontal planks. The ends of the fioor planks are provided with transverse llGI'lzontal grooves b about midway between their upper and lower surfaces the depth of which, preferably, exceeds the thickness of the sheathing, and the upper bifurcatwn or lip a? resulting from the cutting of this groove 1) is foreshortened or cut off a distance corresponding to about one-half of the thickness of said sheathing. The lower edge of the lower plank of the sheathing is also provided with a longitudinal groove 0 midway between its sides and the inner lip 6 resulting from the cutting of this groove is cut oft a distance corresponding to the distance between the underside of the flooring B and the top side of groove 22 therein.

In assembling the parts of my invention, I arrange the planks of the flooring in their proper position uponthe sills, substantially as shown, and then insert one edge of a tielate D in the grooves Z) as far as it will go. The width of this tie-plate corresponds to the depth of grooves Z) or from the end of the lower bifurcation d of said planks to the bottom of said groove. and the outer longitudinal edge thereof is bent upward to form a flange E, which is of such dimensions that when the lower plank of the sheathing is properly assembled so that the outer lip f thereof rests upon sill A said flange will enter groove 0, and the lower edge of the inner lip 8 will rest upon the tie-plate. When thus assembled the flooring and tieplate are secured to the upper flange of sill A. by means of bolts 9, substantially as shown. or otherwise. I I

In Fig. 3. I show a modification of my invention in which a T-beam F is substituted for tie-plate D. ,,The web of this T is inserted in the end grooves b of the floor planks in the same manner as tie-plate, D does, and the upper flange thereof enters groove E in the lower edge of the lower plank of the sheathing. but the lower flange thereof projects down between the outer lip f of the sheathing and the end of the lower lip (Z of the flooring planks and comes in contact with the upper flange of the sill. When thus assembled the T-beam F and the flooring are secured to the upper flange of the sill A by bolts 9, substantially as shown in Fig. 1, or otherwise.

In Fig. 6 of the drawings, 1 show another modification in which the lower sheathing plank G has the outer angle of its lower edge rabbeted, and the lower lip y of the ends of the floor planks extends beyond the upper lip i a distance corresponding to the thickness of the sheathing. The tie-plate I used in this modification is the same as tie-plate D, shown in l, but it is wider, and when inserted as far as it will go into the end grooves J in the floor planks, and the lower edge of the lower sheathing plank is seated upon the web of said tie-plate, the upwardly projecting flange it on the outer edge of the same will enter and rest in the rabbet h of the sheathing. The tie-plate and flooring are secured to the upper flange of sill A by bolts K.

The modification shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings is the same as that shown in Fig. 6, excepting that a if-beam L is substituted for tie-plate ll, and excepting the fact that the lower flange m of said T-beam laps down in front of the foreshortened end of the lower lip n of the flooring. The outer surface of the flanges of this "LT-beam L is, preferably. flush with the outer surfaces of the sheathing and the web of sill A, and it and the flooring are, preferably. secured to the upper flange of said sill by bolts M.

i In F g.4 the groove a that is made in the lower edge of the lowest sheathi g plank is of a depth exceeding-the thickness of the floor-planks. and the inner lip of said edge s cut awav back from the lower edge thereof a di tance corresponding to the thickness of the floor-planks N so that when assembled th lower edge of th outer lip of the sheathing may rest on sill A. The upper surface of the nds of the floor-planks are depressed or rahb tcd as at l and at the i ner shoulders of aid rabbcts the floor-planks are p ovided with transverse grooves I]. The sheathi g a d fl oring are connected bv an irregular Z-har shaped tie-plate Q. wh ch is seated in said rabbeted surface P and has 'ts downwardly projecting inner flange enteri g grooves q in the floor-planks, and its outer upwardly projecting flange entering groove 0 in the sheathing. This tie-pl te Q a d the floor-planks are connected direct to the upper flange of sill A. by means of bolts 1', s shown. or otherwise.

The modified construction shown in Fig. 5 of the drawi g is somewhat similar to that shown in Fig. 4, eYcept that the floor-planks R are extended until their ends are flush with the ou er surfaces of the sill and the sheathing. The upper surfaces 8 of the ends of the e planks are rabbeted or depressed from their ends to a point beyond the inner surface of the sheathing. and the outer surface of the lower edge of the sheathing is rabbeted as at t. A tie-plate T is interposed between the sheathing and flooring. which is substantially similar to tie-plate Q, excepting that it is wider and that its outer flange S, which enters the rabbeted surface '0 of the sheathing, projects upward to a greater extent than the downward projection of the other flange thereof. The inner downwardly projecting flange of this tie-plate T enters the transverse grooves 12 made in the floor planks at the inner shoulder of the rabbeted surfaces 8 thereof.

The tie-plates shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings are entirely out of sight when the parts of the car are properly assembled, and the upwardly projecting outer flanges thereof, when the tie-plates and flooring are bolted or otherwise secured to the sill, not

only tie the sheathing to the flooring in such manner as to absolutely prevent the sheathing from buckling outward, but insure a tight joint between the same and prevent the possibility of the grain or cereals carried by the car from leaking out therethrough.

Of course, it will be understood that where vertical sheathing is used in a car provided with my improvements that the upwardly projecting flange of the tie-plate (or any of the substitutions therefor to which I have referred) will enter grooves in the lower ends of said vertical sheathing planks the same as said flange would enter the groove in the lower'edge of a horizontal sheathing plank, as hereinbefore described. ll have heretofore stated that the inner portion of the tie-plate or its equivalent is bolted or otherwise secured to the sill. This may be done or not, as des red, for it is possible in some instances not to bolt the tieplate or equivalent member to the sill.

T do not wish to be confined to the exact proportions of the parts of my invention, as hereinbefore described, nor to the exact constructiou, because the principal feature, to-

wit: that of mak ng a tie plate for accomplishipg the twofold purpose of preventing leakage of grain and buckling of the sheathing and making a joint in which the said tieplate is hidden (or blind) or partly hidden, may be accomplished by modified constructions of my improvements, as hereinbefore described.

What I claim as new is:

1. In a car, the combination with sheathmeans for securing said tie-plate and floorplanks thereto.

' 2. Tue ear, the combination with the sheathing thereof which has a groove in its lower edge, and flooring a portion of which latter extends under said sheathing, of a tie-plate resting upon the ends of said flooring andihaving an upwardly turned flange that enters said groove, a metal beam-sill. having an upper horizontal flange upon which the ends of said flooring rest, and means for securing said tie-plate and floor" ing thereto.

3, iln a car, the combination wit l the sheathing thereof, flooring a portion of which latter extend under said sheathing, and have horizontal grooves in their ends, and a metal sill upon which said ends rest, of a tie-plate, a portion of which is seated in said horizontal grooves and has an upwardly bent flange that engages said sheathing, and means for securing said tie-plate and flooring to said sill.

A. In a car, the combination with the sheathing thereof which has a groove in its lower edge, flooring a portion of which latter extend under said sheathing and have horizontal grooves in their ends, and a metal sill upon which said ends rest, of a tie-plate a portion of which is seated in said horizontal grooves and has an upwardly bent flange that enters said groove in the lower edge of the sheathing, and means for seicuring said tie-plate and flooring to said si l.,

5.. In a car, the combination with a metal sill having an upper horizontal flange, sheathing flooring the ends of which rest upon said flange, and have horizontal rooves in their ends and having the upper resulting lip foreshortened and contacting with said sheathing, a tie-plate a portion of which enters said grooves and rests upon the extension of the lower lip of said ends and has an upturned flange that engages said sheathing.

6. lln a car, the combination with a metal sill having an upper horizontal flange, sheathing-planks the lowermost one of which has a longitudinal groove in its lower edge, floor-planks the ends of which rest upon said flange and have horizontal grooves in their ends and having the upper resulting lip toreshortened and extending under said sheathing, a tie-plate a portion of which enter said grooves and rests upon the extension of the lower lip of said ends and has an upturned flange that enters the groove in said sheathing.

7. In a car, the combination with a metal sill having an upper horizontal flange, sheathing which has a longitudinal vertical groove in its lower edge and has the inner resulting lip foreshortened, flooring the ends of which rest upon said flange and have horizontal grooves in said ends and the upper resulting lip thereof toreshortened and contacting with the foreshortened lip of the sheathing, of a tie-plate comprising a metal beam which enters the said horizontal grooves and an upwardly flanged outer edge that enters said vertical groove, and means for securing the said tie-plate and the flooring to said sill.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day of June, 1915.

WILLIAM JAMES TOLLERTQN.

i/Vitnesses;

E. A. Woonwon'rn, E, G. Cnnnown'rra. 

